


Across Two Worlds

by Thebooknerd1



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Explicit Language, F/M, Light Angst, Love Triangles, Original Character(s), Pirates, Rewrite, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-06-11 07:02:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15309981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebooknerd1/pseuds/Thebooknerd1
Summary: What would you do if you woke up on a strange island, with no memory of arriving there? That's exactly what twenty-one year old Beckett has to figure out.She immediately meets a strange boy with a straw hat and is taken on an adventure she never could have imagined. She soon realizes that this new world is nothing like her own. Piracy is romanticized, strange powers are common, and the difference between hero and villain can be hard to determine.All she wants is to find a way home. Can she figure out why she was brought to this new world, and after making a life in this new place, can she really leave the friends she makes, all the while dealing with unwelcome feelings for a grumpy swordsman?I wanted to start with Beckett in the very beginning, meaning rewriting most of the story to insert her. I try to keep the spirit of the One Piece story, story arcs and filler included. I mostly follow the anime, dubbed, so there will be differences from the manga. It's typically Beckett's 1st person POV, but sometimes we look through other people's eyes.I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. All rights for those go to Eiichiro Oda, Toei Animation, and Funimation.THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!





	1. Part 1-Arrival Chapter 1

I woke to the sound of crashing waves and the smell of salt water.

Wait, water, I thought. I was supposed to be at home, in my own bed. There shouldn’t be any water.

I sat up quickly and looked around. Sure enough, I was laying on a beach, the ocean stretching out as far as the eye could see. Blinking didn’t make the image disappear. I rubbed my eyes until I saw spots behind my eyelids, but when I opened them again there was no difference. I was still on a beach in the middle of who-knows-where. I pinched myself.

“Ouch,” I cried.

I felt the pain and this didn’t really seem to be a dream anyway. It was too real. The colors too bright, the sand was rough under my hands and I could feel the breeze ruffling my bright red hair. I didn’t remember any dream ever being so detailed.

“Oh good. You’re awake.” The voice was gravelly, male, and right behind me.

I turned slowly. There, inches away from me, sat a young man, a bright smile plastered to his face. I jumped back, startled.

“You were passed out for ages,” he said, leaning back. “I was starting to wonder if you’d ever wake up.”

He laughed. It was a nice laugh, the cheerful kind that made you happy when you heard it. I examined him for a moment. He wore a red, button-up vest and a pair of shorts. On his feet he wore a pair of double strapped sandals. Under his left eye there was a small, crescent-shaped mark. He also wore a plain straw hat, the only decoration a red ribbon.

I felt panic rising in me, tightening my chest and making my palms sweaty. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten there. As far as I could see, I didn’t seem to be anywhere near civilization. The only other person I could see was this guy and somehow I didn’t think he’d kidnapped me. Surely I would have felt something if he had.

I tried to think back to the previous night. I hadn’t done anything unusual. I definitely hadn’t had any strange drinks that might’ve been drugged.

“Um,” I said. My throat was scratchy and I realized I was dying for a glass of water. “Where are we?”

“No idea.” The boy clapped the bottoms of his sandals together. “My boat got washed up here the earlier and then I found you. I’m Monkey D. Luffy, by the way, and I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!” He said this last bit with greater emphasis, like he wanted to make sure I’d remember it.

I cocked my head to the side. “Pirates? There aren’t pirates anymore. Not that you’d want to be one nowadays anyway. The seas are more patrolled now and navies have way better guns.”

“What are you talking about?” the boy said. It was his turn to be confused. “Pirates are all over the place. Out looking for the One Piece, but I’m going to find it first.”

I sighed. It only figured I’d get lost with an airhead like him. I stood up, dusting off my pajama bottoms. I hated that I was still in my sleeping clothes, just a thin shirt and dark shorts. I didn’t even have a bra on.

I turned and walked away from the boy. He jumped up and followed me.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m going to find somewhere I can borrow a phone, then I’m going to call home and figure out how the hell to get back,” I said.

I’d been surprised to find myself away from home, but now I was angry. First things first, find a way to get back to where I was supposed to be, then I’d figure out who'd brought me here and why. And then I’d make them pay.

“That’s going to be kind of hard,” the boy said mysteriously.

I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. Finally, I stopped, turning to him.

“And why is that?” I asked, exasperated.

“Because this is an island and there’s no one here, but us.”

I stared at him in shock for a moment. “But…but that can’t be right,” I sputtered. “How the flying fuck did I get on an island?”

“Beats me,” he shrugged.

My brain started whirring, trying to think of what to do. If I was stuck here, how long would it take for my roommates to notice me missing? A day? They didn’t usually check on me during the weekends, preferring to let me sleep. It might be two days before they started to worry. It’d be another few days to get a search party together. I was looking at maybe a week or longer before help would come. Then I thought of something.

I grabbed the boy by the shoulders. “You said you had a boat right? We can use that to get off this island, then I can find a phone.”

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but there’s a problem with the boat idea,” he said sheepishly.

“What?” I demanded.

He pointed to the side where the ocean met the beach. There were several jagged rocks and planks of broken wood laying among them.

“That’s my boat,” he said.

I dropped my arms in defeat and sighed. “Well this is just fantucking fastic,” I cursed lamely.

I started walking again, wandering aimlessly along the beach. The boy kept pace with me, his long legs moving him twice as fast as my short legs.

“I guess we’ll be here for a while,” I eventually said.

“Uh huh,” he replied. He didn’t seem too concerned by the fact that we were trapped on a deserted island.

“So then what am I supposed to call you?” I asked, more for conversation than curiosity. “Calling you Monkey seems kind of strange.”

“Most people just call me Luffy.” He smiled again. I half expected him to announce his bizarre desire to be King of the Pirates again. “What’s your name?”

“Beckett,” I told him.

“I like that,” he said. “It’s unusual. Beckett.” He said my name like he was trying it out, seeing how it felt on his tongue.

The island was pretty similar throughout. It wasn’t very big, and we managed to walk around it in only a few hours. The middle was covered in tall trees and I didn’t want to investigate only to be attacked by wild animals. The entire time we were walking Luffy kept up a steady stream of conversation. Most of it I tuned out, but I listened enough to learn he wanted to find people to join his nonexistent crew.

I laughed to myself, imagining the gangly boy and a motley crew trying to be pirates in today’s modern world. It was almost sad that his dream would have to die a painful death.

All the while I tried to figure out what had happened to me and what might happen when I was discovered missing. My dad would freak out. I’d just recently lost my mother. Losing his daughter as well might be too much for him. I just hoped I’d be back soon.

I kept pushing the panic back. It wouldn’t do me any good. I had to keep calm and do what I could to save myself.

We finally reached the place we’d started from. It was the same as we’d left it, but now the sun was beginning to set.

“I guess we’d better get around to making a camp of some sort,” I said.

Luffy just looked at me, confused. “A camp?”

“Yes, a camp,” I replied. “We’ll need at least a fire, don’t you think.”

“I guess so, but I don’t really know how to start one,” he said.

“You’re really useful,” I remarked sarcastically. “Just, go get some wood.”

“Right.” He ran off toward the trees and I examined the area.

I hadn’t done much camping before, though my dad had tried to teach me the basics and I’d read a few survival books. This was one time my insatiable appetite for reading might come in handy.

When Luffy came back, his arms full of sticks and branches, I set about trying to start a fire. It took a few tries and a lot of cursing, but eventually I managed it.

I sat back, pleased with myself, wiping a bit of sweat off with the back of my arm. Luffy was looking at the fire in awe.

“Wow,” he cried. “That’s so cool!”

I laughed, surprised I could even manage a chuckle in my current situation. “It’s not much, but it’ll keep us warm.”

“You know,” Luffy said thoughtful. “I like you. I want you on my crew.”

I should have been used to feeling shock at that point, but I wasn’t. I blinked at him, sure I’d heard him wrong.

“You what?” I asked, wanting clarification.

“I’ve decided I want you on my crew. You’ll be my first mate.” He looked satisfied, content despite the fact that we were still stranded.

“Like hell.” I jumped up. “I’m going home when I get off this dumb island, back to Oklahoma, not joining your little Scooby gang. It’s a pipe dream anyway. There no such thing as the ‘King of the Pirates’.”

“Nope,” Luffy said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He reminded me of a little kid, determined to get their way. “I’ve already decided. You’re my first crew member.” He unfolded his arms. “What’s Oklahoma anyway?”

I rolled my eyes. “Geez, I know we’re not very popular, but come on. We’re the Indian state.” All that got was a blank stare. “One of the states in the United States of America? North America?”

Luffy shook his head. “Never heard of it.”

“Oh, come on!” I threw my hands up in the air. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“All I know is the Red Line and the Grand Line.”

“The heck are you talking about lines for?” I snapped.

A nervous feeling had settled into the pit of my stomach. Something was very wrong. He didn’t appear to be messing with me. He really didn’t appear to know what North America or the USA was.

“Well the Red Line is the land and the Grand Line is where the One Piece is. They’re kind of important,” he said, looking up at me like I’d lost my mind.

I sunk to the ground heavily. My heart had started pounding in my chest and there was a roaring in my ears.

“You really don’t know where I’m talking about?” I whimpered. He leaned forward, trying to hear me. “Can you draw a rough map for me, on the sand there?” I pointed to the ground next to us.

“Sure,” he shrugged, using his fingers to sketch out a rough map. He didn’t even need to think about it before he drew, like he’d known it his whole life, which I suppose he had. When he was done he sat back. “There, the Red Line, Grand Line and the four oceans.

The rushing in my ears had grown louder. Luffy was saying something, but I couldn’t hear him. His map didn’t match up to mine at all and why would he lie about something like that? There was no reason to. I tried to think clearly, but there was only one thought that ran through my head.

I was not in Oklahoma anymore.


	2. Part 1-Arrival Chapter 2

I spent the next hour freaking out while Luffy sat and watched me pacing around, his face passive.  
“This can’t be happening!” I cried. “It just can’t. This kind of stuff only happens in stories. It must be a dream, a really bad nightmare, and I’ll wake up soon and laugh about it. Right?”  
“I don’t know about that,” Luffy said. “All I know is what I’ve told you. I found you laying on the beach. I showed you what the world looks like. Not sure what you thought it looked like though.”  
“Then I’m really in a different world?” I asked no one in particular. “Somehow I left my world in my sleep and wound up here on a deserted island. But that’s impossible. People don’t just world-hop.”  
Luffy shrugged unhelpfully. He picked up a stick and began to poke the fire and I looked at the sky. It looked like the sky I was familiar with. The sun was still bright enough that I could see Luffy clearly, but I wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.  
“So then, pirates are a thing here?” I asked. “There really is such a thing as ‘King of the Pirates’.”  
Luffy nodded. “Uh huh. There’s lots of pirates around, but only one king. And that’ll be me. But what I’m really worried about is food. I’m hungry. I want some meat.”  
“Meat?” I asked, aghast. “I’m having a full-on meltdown and all you’re worried about is food?”  
“Yep.” He smiled.  
I wanted to haul off and slap him.  
All of a sudden, he paused, raising his nose in the air and sniffing. “I smell food right now!” he shouted. “Smells pretty good too.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re the only people on this blasted rock,” I said, but before I was done speaking I too was able to smell what seemed like roasting meat. It did smell delicious, making my empty stomach grumble. I put a hand to my belly, trying to ignore the pangs of hunger.  
Luffy jumped up and began running around the island. Without thinking, I chased after him. I wasn’t sure what to believe. There hadn’t been anyone else around that we’d seen, but if this wasn’t a dream, the aroma of food wouldn’t just appear out of thin air.  
By the time we’d reached the other side of the island, an enormous ship had come into view. I pulled Luffy down behind the cover of a fallen log and peered over it. There was another fire, this one bigger than the one I’d started, and around it sat scores of burly, unwashed men.  
They seemed more a group of thugs than a band of pirates. They were talking to each other loudly, but I couldn’t make it out from where I sat. All of them seemed to have a weapon of some sort: swords, clubs, knives, even some guns. One man was standing up, his hands on his hips. He looked to be close to thirty, with greasy black hair and beady eyes, sauntering around like he thought he was the best thing in the world. He wore a blue coat that went down to his knees and a dirty shirt.  
The other men looked up to the one who was obviously their leader, calling him captain and congratulating him. He accepted their praise with a smug expression, drinking it all in. Some of the men were holding skewers, roasting what looked like small birds. It was that that we’d managed to smell across the island.  
“Meat,” Luffy whispered.  
I turned to look at him. He had a dopey look on his face and he was already drooling.  
“You idiot,” I hissed. “Those men look like real pirates, the kind that would kill you before they’d ever give you any food. We should try to get away without them seeing us.”  
Before I was even done speaking, Luffy had jumped up, exposing himself to the pirates.  
“Hey!” he yelled at them. “I’m starving. Can I have some of your food?”  
Instantly, all the men were staring at him, their hands going to their weapons. I cursed quietly, ducking down, but it was too late.  
“You there,” the captain called out. “Come out from around that log, both of you. I want to see you properly.”  
Shit, I thought, struggling to duck down even more. I couldn’t believe how incredibly stupid the straw hat was, intentionally drawing attention to himself. Did he not understand that those weapons were real or that it didn’t look like the men would hesitate to use them?  
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping they would leave me alone.  
“Hey, are you going to get up or what?” Luffy asked, close enough that his breath rustled my hair.  
“Why you little…” I ground out, throwing my arm up and punching his chin and sending him flying back. I jumped up, my hiding place useless now.  
“What’d you do that for?” he demanded from where he sat on the ground. He was holding his chin, looking more shocked than hurt.  
“You have to be the stupidest person in the world!” I shouted. “Why’d you go and drag me into this mess too?”  
“Huh?” He stared up at me, his expression blank. He really didn’t understand what he’d done wrong.  
I sighed, rubbing at my eyes. “Of all the places to get dumped, I got stuck with you.”  
Behind me, I could hear the pirates whispering among themselves. I recognized the word woman repeated over and over and a shiver ran down my spine. There hadn’t been a female among the pirates and who knew how long they’d been at sea. They probably hadn’t spent time with a girl in months and now here I was, defenseless.  
“Now, now,” the captain said. “It’s not good for friends to fight. Come join us. We were just about to eat.”  
Luffy shot up, my punch forgotten, and hurried over to the men. I stood, my feet frozen in place. I could feel the lewd stares and barely concealed desire from the pirates. I’d never realized before quite how powerless I really was. If those men wanted me, there was nothing I could do to stop them.  
The captain moved to stand next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. He reeked of sweat and booze, making me want to gag. He tugged me toward the others.  
“Come now, darling,” he said. “Don’t be shy. We won’t bite.”  
“Yeah,” Luffy said, his mouth already full of food. “They seem really cool.” The pirates next to him watched in amazement as he ate a full bird by himself and then went on to grab another.  
The captain sat me down, sitting too close to me. He stared unabashed, undressing me with his eyes.  
“So, who are you guys,” I asked, more to distract them than anything else.  
The captain’s face brightened. He raised his sword and cried, “I am the pirate captain, Samson Knuckles and we are the Bloody Hand Pirates!”  
The other pirates hooted and yelled, several joining their captain in raising their own swords. They all cheered as if their favorite football team had scored a touchdown.  
“Never heard of you,” Luffy said between bites.  
The cheers died down quickly. Even Samson looked deflated.  
“Never heard of us?” he whined. “But we’re deadly pirates. People the world over are terrified when they see our flag coming. Have you heard of us?” he asked, turning to me.  
I hesitated, not wanting to admit that I wasn’t from this world. Finally I admitted, “Not really, sorry.”  
If he’d looked devastated when Luffy hadn’t heard of them, he looked positively heartbroken when I said it. He dropped to his hands and knees, hanging his head. I half expected him to go mope in a corner. The other pirates hurried to reassure him of his greatness.  
He popped back up with a determined look.  
“That’s alright,” he said. “Everyone will know of us soon enough after I find the One Piece and become the King of the Pirates.”  
There was that name again: King of the Pirates. I wasn’t so sure what it even meant or why it was such a big deal. I didn’t even think pirates had kings to begin with.  
“No, I’m gonna be the King of the Pirates.” Luffy’s voice had become more serious, though he was still stuffing his mouth with food.  
All of the pirates turned to look at him again. This time, though, they were openly hostile. I could tell things were about to go very wrong, very fast.  
“What’s that?” Samson asked. “You, as King? That’s a joke.”  
He laughed and the others joined him. Luffy still didn’t seem to understand the danger he was in or he just didn’t care. I was wondering if he had some sort of death wish.  
“I mean it,” he said, finishing his third bird. “I’m going to the Grand Line to find the One Piece.”  
Samson stopped laughing. “Your joke’s getting a little old. You’ve worn out your welcome, boy. I think it’s time we showed you why we’re called the Bloody Hand Pirates.”  
“Luffy, run!” I screamed, moving toward him.  
A hand grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly back. I looked up to see Samson grinning down at me.  
“Don’t go running off yet,” he said. “We’ll have our fun later, don’t worry.”  
I tried to pull away, but he was stronger than he appeared. His fingers dug into my arm painfully, squeezing tighter the more I struggled. Trying to pry them off was impossible.  
“I’m not running from someone like him,” Luffy said. “If I did that, I wouldn’t be much of a pirate, would I?”  
I stopped struggling, and looked at him. Gone was the carefree idiot that I’d met on the beach. Here was a fighter, ready to beat every last pirate gathered there. His hands were clenched into fists and his eyes were sharp, focused.  
“You’d better let her go if you know what’s good for you,” he warned Samson.  
“Oh yeah?” Samson responded. “What’re you going to do about it?”  
“Just watch.” Luffy grinned at the man holding me, bending down into a fighting stance and pulling his arm back.  
“What’re you waiting for, men?” Samson called to his crew. “Get rid of the straw hat!”  
The men rushed forward, their weapons poised to rip through Luffy. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I was about to witness the poor guy get sliced to ribbons right in front of me.


	3. Part 1-Arrival Chapter 3

“Please, stop,” I begged, turning to Samson. “He’s just a kid.”  
Samson just smiled, seeming to enjoy my desperation. He bent close to me, his putrid breath blowing in my face.   
“I think we’re going to have fun,” he whispered in my ear. “Just wait till this guy’s taken care of.”  
I turned away. I felt my skin crawl from his touch. Even just having him holding my arm made me feel dirty. I wanted to wash every bit of skin he touched, erase any evidence of him from my body. Knowing what he intended to do made my body go cold.  
“You’d better get away from her.”   
Luffy had his eyes on us, ignoring the pirates that were getting closer and closer to him. He pulled his leg back and swung it around in a long arc. His leg seemed to grow longer, until it was several yards in length.   
“Gum Gum Whip!” he shouted as he slammed his leg into the pirates gathered around him.   
The pirates went flying back, into the cluster of trees. They stared at Luffy in terrified amazement. I looked at him too, and I could tell Samson was as shocked as I was. Luffy’s leg snapped back to him, at its original length. He didn’t seem disturbed by what he’d done, like he’d done it a thousand times. He smiled at me.   
“What the hell was that?” I asked in wonder.   
“Oh, I’m a rubber man,” he said, grabbing his cheek and pulling it out a foot before letting it snap back in place.   
“Oh, right,” I said.   
This was too much for my brain to process. He’d managed to knock dozens of pirates aside without blinking. He could stretch his body in unnatural ways like it was nothing.   
“You freak!” Samson screamed at Luffy. His voice echoed in my head and I grimaced.   
“I warned you,” Luffy said. “You should have left Beckett alone when you had the chance.”  
He looked at the pirate without fear. In fact, he seemed excited by the expectation of a fight.   
Samson shoved me away roughly and I fell on my knees, skinning them. I winced at the pain, then turned to see Samson pulling a gun out from inside his coat. Before I could say anything, he’d raised the gun, pointing it at Luffy.  
“Die, you freak!” Samson pulled the trigger. The gun let out a blast that sounded deafening.   
“Luffy, no!” I reached out helplessly.   
Luffy curled forward, head down, as the bullet hit his chest. Instead of going through him, his rubber body caught it as it trailed behind him, pulling his skin backward. With a cry, he straightened up, puffing out his chest and sending the bullet ricocheting over Samson’s head.  
Samson stared at Luffy, eyes wide. “You’re a monster.”  
My mouth hung open. Luffy didn’t have anything to show he’d just been shot, no wounds or scrapes. Even his vest was miraculously unharmed. Instead, he looked like he was just getting warmed up, pulling his arm back.  
Samson growled. He pulled out his sword, brandishing it in front of him. He ran forward, raising the sword over his head and bringing it down, aiming for Luffy’s hat.  
Luffy moved quickly, sidestepping Samson. Before Samson could stop his swing, Luffy jabbed his fist forward, hitting the side of the blade. A thin line ran down the metal, splintering into a spider web of cracks. In between one breath and the next, the blade broke into pieces, falling to the ground, a flurry of ragged metal edges.   
Samson gasped, looking down at the useless handle in his grip. There was barely an inch of the blade left attached to the hilt. He looked up at Luffy, a hint of fear finally crossing his face. His expression made it clear that he’d realized he’d gotten too far into the fight with Luffy and was about to lose.  
I watched everything quietly from my position on the ground. When I’d first met him, there had been no hint of the ferocious fighter in front of me now. I’d underestimated him.  
Luffy grabbed Samson’s shoulder, his free hand stretched back.   
“Gum Gum Pistol!” he shouted, pulling his fist forward, the force of his rubber arm returning to place adding even more velocity to his punch.   
His fist connected with Samson’s jaw, sending him rocketing back. He was unconscious before he’d even hit the ground. Luffy chuckled, rubbing his shoulder. He turned around, walking over. When he’d stepped up to me, he held out his hand. I raised my eyes to him.  
“What are you?” I asked.  
He knelt down to face me. “I ate the Gum Gum Devil Fruit. Now my body’s rubber.” He seemed worried. “You’ll still be on my crew right?”  
I chuckled. He was back to seeming like a child, about to have his favorite toy taken away.   
“I never said I’d join your stupid crew in the first place.” But my voice didn’t have any anger in it.  
I had nowhere to go and no one to get help from. I was lost and confused. At least with Luffy I’d have someone to look to for assistance. And for some reason, I felt an overwhelming urge to go with him, aid him with his goal of being a pirate king. I shook my head, surprised at myself.   
“Fine,” I sighed. Luffy jumped up with a whoop. “But I have conditions.”  
“Whatever you want,” he said, still happy to have a crewmember. His eyes were bright and excited. It was hard not to share his enthusiasm.   
“First,” I said, holding up a finger. “When we get an actual ship, I want my own room.”  
Luffy nodded. “Got it.”  
“Two.” I raised another finger. “I’m not a fighter. I’m not strong and I don’t know the first thing about combat. I’m going to leave that to you, and I’m trusting you to protect me. I’ll be the brains of the crew, you’re the brawn.”  
“I can live with that.” He smiled.   
“And three.” Another finger went up. “Your dream is to be the King of the Pirates. That’s all well and good, but I’ve got my own dream. I’m going to find a way back home. When I do, I’m leaving your crew. Promise you’ll accept that. You won’t try to stop me. My dream comes first for me.”  
His face fell slightly, but he nodded. “Fine. I’ll respect your terms.”  
Having made the agreement, he helped me stand up. The other pirates were cowering in the trees, terrified Luffy would hit them like he’d hit their captain.  
“Hey, you guys,” Luffy called. They all cowered, shrinking away from him. “Do you have a boat we could borrow to get off this island? Mine’s kind of broken. And some berries?”  
None of the men made any movements. I let out a huff of impatience, stomping up to one of them.   
“He asked you a question,” I stated. I stood with my feet apart, hands on my hips and glared down at the man. “Do you have a boat or not?”  
The man opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. His eyes were wide and terrified and I wasn’t sure if he would be able to answer. He looked to Luffy.   
“Hey,” I said, bending over and pushing my face close to his. “Just tell me if you do or not.”  
“Y-yes,” he stammered.   
“Then can we borrow it?” I enunciated each word carefully.   
Without speaking, the pirate sprang up and ran to the ship.  
“You there,” I called pointing to two other pirates. “Give him a hand.”  
They hurried to join the first man in freeing the boat. Luffy walked up to me, patting me on the shoulder.  
“You’re pretty good at this,” he laughed. “You might be even scarier than I am.”  
“Um, thanks, I think,” I replied.   
We watched as the boat was lowered into the water. Once it hit the water with a splash, Luffy ran up to it. I followed more slowly. Luffy quickly jumped aboard. It wasn’t a bad boat. It seemed sturdy enough, larger than I had expected and there was a bag full of what I expected where the berries he’d asked for. There was a bench on one side and there were oars on the left and right.   
“This is so cool!” Luffy cried, looking around the boat.  
“Its fine,” I said, trying to calm Luffy down. “No need to get so worked up.”  
His face was animated. He held out his hand to me. “Let’s go.”  
I looked down at his outstretched hand. If I took it, I was accepting a world I knew nothing about. I would be acknowledging that I’d stepped into a new place, started a new chapter in my life. Who knew how dangerous it would be? In less than twelve hours I’d already been threatened and manhandled. I had a feeling there would be much worse before I could go home.   
I reached out, my hand shaking. Luffy took it firmly and lifted me into the boat. He used his stretchy arms to push us away from the beach. Back on the island, the pirates had come out of hiding and were hovering over Samson. He was just starting to regain consciousness.   
“Bye!” Luffy called to them. “Thanks for the boat!”  
I couldn’t help laughing at the pirates’ expressions of surprise and anger. Luffy didn’t seem to notice. He was facing toward the ocean, ready for another adventure. I found myself actually looking forward to seeing what might happen next.


	4. Part 2-Romance Dawn Chapter 1

I sat in the boat, cursing my luck. I’d managed to lose Luffy less than a week after joining him on the high sea. After coming across a whirlpool, the idiot had fallen out of the boat. We’d both seen the barrel at the same time and before he’d hit the water he’d managed to crawl into it. Before I could grab him, the boat had been tossed away on the waves. Thankfully I hadn’t been killed, but I’d managed to lose sight of the barrel and, by extension, my captain.   
“Where the hell could he possibly have gone?” I asked myself, looking around.   
Luffy had disappeared several hours ago. By now, he might’ve drowned or been captured. I pushed the thought away, unwilling to let myself be concerned for him. I knew well enough that he could take care of himself.  
The ocean was calm, the waters clear blue. The whirlpool was a distant memory. The sky was just a shade lighter than the water, puffy white clouds blowing by. We’d managed to find a little town a few days ago where I was able to buy some clothes so I was more comfortable in dark pants and a plain blue shirt than I’d been in my pajamas.  
There was no sign of the barrel. I cursed, slamming my hand against the boat. I grabbed the oars, rowing in a random direction, hoping I’d happen across Luffy.   
It didn’t take long before I saw two ships rising up ahead of me. They were hazy at a distance. As I got closer, the ships grew clearer. One seemed to be an ordinary cruise ship, nothing special. The other, however, was an enormous pirate ship. The black flag had a sideways skull with a pink heart in front of crossbones.   
I figured if there was trouble, Luffy wouldn’t be far behind.   
I rowed toward the ships, squeezing the boat between them. There was another small boat already there, a young woman sitting in it watching me approach. She had short, orange hair and dark eyes. Ignoring her, I was about to look for a way on board the cruise ship when Luffy poked his head over the side.   
“Hey there, Beckett,” he called down. “How’s it going?”  
“Me?” I asked, incredulous. “I should be asking you that. Last I saw, you were in a barrel, being tossed around in the open ocean.”  
He grinned, chuckling. “Yeah. It’s kind of a long story. I’m coming down!”  
Too late I realized what he meant. He’d grabbed the railing of the ship and flung himself over.   
“Oh, shit. Luffy, don’t!”   
But he’d already gone sailing over the side of the ship. The girl next to me screamed, but I just grit my teeth, already used to Luffy’s erratic behavior. I held onto the sides of the boat as he landed in it, tossing it around.  
Miraculously, the boat stayed upright.   
“Come on, Coby!” Luffy called. “You’ll be fine.”  
A young boy poked his head over the side of the ship. He wore huge, round glasses and his pinkish hair was parted in the middle. He was slightly chubby and wore a blue and white shirt. He looked scared out of his mind.   
“I don’t think this is a good idea, Luffy,” he said. His voice was whiny and immediately annoyed me.   
“Just get down here,” Luffy replied, stretching his arms up and yanking the boy over the ship.   
Crying out and flapping his arms, the boy crashed into our tiny boat. It didn’t rock as much as when Luffy had landed, but I didn’t think it would handle another person free-falling in.   
Suddenly, a cannon ball splashed next to the ship, sending waves that rocked our small boat. More cannon balls shot at us, huge sprays showing where they landed. I looked around. In the distance were several ships with the word Marines painted on the side.  
“It’s the Marines,” the boy said.   
I rolled my eyes at him. I could read and it was kind of obvious they weren’t being friendly.  
“There you go, Coby,” Luffy said cheerfully. “Go over there and tell them you want to join.”  
“I can’t do that!” Coby protested. “They’ll think I’m still part of Alvida’s crew.”  
“Suit yourself,” Luffy replied. “But it’s time for us to get out of here.”  
With that he grabbed the oars and rowed us away from the two ships, leaving the Marines behind.   
Once we were out of sight of the ships, Luffy put the oars down and moved to the front of the boat. I sat down next to him, staring at the strange boy.  
“Are you going to introduce us?” I asked Luffy.  
“Oh, yeah,” he said, obviously having forgot to earlier. “Beckett, this is Coby. He was Alvida’s cabin boy, but he really wants to be a Marine.”  
“Okay,” I said, ignoring the fact that I had no clue who Alvida was.   
“And, Coby, this is Beckett,” Luffy continued. “She’s my right hand man.”   
He gave an enormous smile. I raised my hand, smacking the back of his head. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to get his attention.   
“What was that for?” Luffy asked.   
“I’m not a man,” I hissed. “Geez, you could at least be nice enough to remember my gender.”  
“Sorry,” he said, holding his hat on his head.   
He looked suitably chastised, his head down, but I knew he’d forget my words in a few hours. He was hopeless.  
Coby looked between the two of us, thinking. Finally, he took a breath.  
“If you’re going after the One Piece you have to be heading for the Grand Line,” he said. “You know it’s called the pirate graveyard, right?”  
Luffy nodded, clearly not caring what it was called. I, however, wasn’t as carefree.   
“Pirate graveyard?” I asked.   
Coby nodded, but Luffy was the one who spoke next.  
“Yup. That’s why I need an extra strong crew.” He focused on Coby. “You mentioned some pirate hunter. What’s he like?”  
Coby looked taken aback. “Zoro? I heard he’s being held prisoner at a Marine base.”  
Luffy looked disappointed. “A weakling, huh?” He turned away from Coby, already done with the conversation.  
“No!” Coby cried, jumping up. “He’s as violent as a demon.” He paused for a moment. “Why are you asking about him, anyway?”  
Luffy looked around to face Coby. I’d watched the exchange quietly. I wondered what the big deal about a swordsman was, but apparently Luffy was interested in him. He had a determined look on his face.  
“I figured if he’s good enough, I’d ask him to join my crew,” he stated.  
Coby looked like Luffy had told him he was planning on jumping off a cliff without a parachute. “That’s just plain reckless.”  
“You don’t know,” Luffy said. “He might jump at the chance.”  
Even I had to laugh at how oblivious Luffy could be. He seemed to believe everything would work out the way he wanted and that if he liked this Zoro, he’d somehow manage to get him in his crew. Luffy looked at me while Coby looked at Luffy aghast.  
“He’s so bad the Marines caught him,” Coby pointed out. “There’s not a chance.”  
I wasn’t surprised when Luffy hit the boy, but I still winced. It looked like it was harder than when I’d hit Luffy. Coby covered his head, grimacing.  
“Why’d you hit me?” he whined.  
Luffy’s answer was simple. “Cuz I felt like it.”  
I laughed, settling in for a long trip. Our next stop: the Marine base where Zoro was held.


	5. Part 2-Romance Dawn Chapter 2

I walked in step with Luffy through the town. Coby trailed a bit behind us, looking around nervously. I almost felt sorry for him. Those years on Alvida’s pirate ship couldn’t have been a pleasant experience.

The town seemed lively enough. It was set on an island, the houses circling a huge structure that I assumed was the Marine base. The people smiled as we passed and there were stalls lining the street, selling everything from food to fabric.

“You’re insane if you think the right thing to do is get this guy to join you,” Coby said as we walked, voice full of concern.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” Luffy replied, not worried about Coby’s protests. “We’ll have to see if he’s a good guy.”

“He’s in prison because he’s obviously not a good guy!” Coby cried, stopping.

I chuckled. Coby seemed the type to be scared of anyone taller and broader than him. I’d already figured out he was a coward and the fact that he didn’t want to see Zoro only proved it further. Even I was curious to see a man everyone called a demon.

Looking around as we walked along, I saw a small stall selling sweets. I was about to pass it by when I saw three slices of chocolate cake.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had something sweet and my mouth watered. I stopped suddenly in front of it, startling Luffy and Coby. The lady on the other side smiled at me.

“Anything I can get for you, dear?” she asked.

I nodded, swallowing hard. “The chocolate cake.”

When she only grabbed one of the slices, I shook my head. “All of them, please. I want to give my friends some.”

She smiled again, going for the other two and handing them to the two boys. They dug into theirs hungrily while I paid.

“Thanks,” Luffy said.

Coby mumbled something around his full mouth that I assumed was also a thanks. I nibbled on part of my slice, wrapping the rest in paper and putting it in my pocket for later. The two boys noticed and clamored for the rest of my cake. I held them back with a hand.

“Back off,” I commanded. “You can’t have my slice too. I’m saving it.”

They pouted, but thankfully didn’t push me about it anymore.

Luffy turned to the stall owner. “Hey, is that guy Zoro around here?”

The woman gasped and all the people around up jumped back, their faces terrified. I glanced around, confused.

“Maybe we shouldn’t mention Zoro around here,” Coby whispered.

“Let’s head to the base.” Luffy continued walking, unfazed by the townspeople’s odd behavior. Coby and I hurried to catch up.

“From what I hear, the man in charge of this base is named Captain Morgan,” Coby explained.

At the mention of Captain Morgan, the people all jumped back again.

“This place is really jumpy, huh?” I said, looking around.

I could see why they would be scared of Zoro, considering his reputation, but I wasn’t sure why the name of the captain would be so scary. Something was going on that we weren’t aware of and I didn’t like it. I had a bad feeling things were going to go downhill while we were around. Luffy always seemed to find trouble.

Before I realized it, we were standing in front of the Marine base, a huge wall surrounding everything. There were two large metal doors that were barred shut. The title of Marine and their logo was painted across the doors. We all looked up at it. Coby started getting teary eyed.

“This looks like the place,” Luffy pointed out.

“I made it.” Coby sounded disbelieving. “This is where we part ways,” he said, swiping his arm across his eyes. “I know we haven’t been together long, but…”

“If you’re talking to Luffy, he’s not here anymore,” I told Coby who looked up in surprise. “He took off running around the wall. I think he wants to look for Zoro.”

“But he wouldn’t be out in the open,” Coby protested.

I shrugged, moving to follow my captain. He’d already managed to get to the side of the base and scale the wall.

“Get down from there!” Coby yelled. “They’ll see you.”

“They’ll hear you before they see any of us,” I said under my breath. He was so loud I was surprised no Marines came running at the sound of his voice.

“There he is!” Luffy cried. He jumped down from his spot on the wall. “I’m going to go get closer.”

He sprinted off, going to find a better spot. With no better plan, Coby and I followed him. I wondered if this was going to be my life from now on, following a man with no idea what he was doing.

Luffy crawled up the wall again, and I followed suit, managing to find footholds in the old stones. I wound up next to him, looking into the courtyard of the Marine base.

There, in the middle of the open space, was a makeshift wooden cross. Tied to it was a man, head hanging down. The beam the man’s arms were tied to happened to be lower than his actual height, forcing him to fan his legs out and hang on the ropes tying him. A black bandana was tied across his head, covering his hair. He wore black pants along with black boots and a white shirt. A green haramaki was wrapped around his stomach and ropes tied his waist to the cross as well. He looked terrible, completely defenseless and utterly worn out.

“I’m telling you, he’s not…” Coby trailed off, looking into the courtyard and seeing the man. He came to the same conclusion Luffy and I had: this was the pirate hunter Zoro.

Luffy turned to me. “If we just untie those ropes, he could walk away.” He grinned like a little kid.

“Don’t be such an idiot!” Coby screamed over my shoulder. “There’s no telling what a man like him would do if you let him go!”

“Don’t worry,” Luffy said. “I’m strong. I can protect us.”

While I knew that was true, I didn’t think we’d need much protecting even if we let him go. He didn’t seem like he’d have the strength to stand up, let alone fight us.

“Hey, you,” the man called out to us. His voice was deep and I found myself enjoying the sound of it. “You’re an eyesore. Get lost.”

He looked up at us and I could see his eyes were focused. He was handsome, his face all sharp angles with a strong jaw, though his face was dirty and bruised. I could see that he worked out, his shirt hugging his chest and the short sleeves showing off well-toned arms.

Coby, squeezing close to me, screamed, “Luffy, trust me. There’s no way you’ll survive with someone like him on your crew!"

I sighed, shoving Coby back to his spot and climbing over the wall.

“You’re so dramatic,” I called up to him.

“Wait, Beckett,” he said, his voice high in panic. “What are you doing?”

I ignored him, landing heavily on my feet, jarring my ankles. Shaking it off, I walked up to the man. I could dimly hear Coby yelling at Luffy, but I focused all my attention on the man in front of me. He stared at me and I wasn’t sure if he was curious or thinking of ways he wanted to kill me.

“You must be hungry,” I said.

“No,” he said, looking away.

I waited for him to say more and when he didn’t, I stepped closer, reaching into my pocket.

“I bet you haven’t eaten in days,” I pressed. “You have to be hungry.”

“What do you want, little girl,” he said, annoyed.

I pulled out the remaining cake, slightly smashed, but still eatable and held it out to him.

“I don’t want it,” he said, turning away again.

I sighed, putting my free hand on my hip. “Just accept it with grace, why don’t you.”

“I already told you, I don’t want it!” he cried. “Do you have a death wish? Scram.”

“Fine, then I’ll eat it all myself,” I said, giving him a crooked grin.

I dipped my finger in the icing and licked it clean, watching his expression change from one of anger to one of hunger. I was about to offer it to him again when the gates on the far side were flung open.

A number of men came marching through the open gate, most of them wearing Marine uniforms. The man in front leading the others wore a tacky purple suit with a necklace of gold beads. His hair was bright yellow and shaped like a bowl. He had the most unfortunate chin I’d ever seen, enormous, with a deep dimple in the middle.

“Well, well,” the fashion catastrophe said as he sauntered in. “It seems you’ve made a friend, Roronoa Zoro. You’re handling this well, don’t you agree.”

The group of Marines had reached the cross by then. The strange looking man looked from me to the cake. A greedy look passed over his face.

“What do we have here,” he said, eyeing me. “Looks tasty.”

I sneered at the man, but before I could move away, he’d grabbed the cake and taken a huge bite before spitting it out.

“This is terrible!” he cried. “Who on earth made this garbage.”

When I’d eaten part of it, the cake had been delicious. The man simply wanted a reason to throw the rest of it on the ground and stomp on it. He wanted to show me that he could take my things for himself and prevent either me or Zoro from eating it ourselves. I’d dealt with men like him before, who needed to constantly prove that they were in charge.

He turned back to me. “You must’ve read the notice. All those who assist criminals in any way will be executed. Signed by Marine Captain Morgan.”

I looked at him in surprise. There was no way I’d known about that rule. Even if I had, I wasn’t sure I would change what I’d done. I’d simply tried to help a hungry man out. It didn’t matter if he was a criminal.

“You’d do well to fear my daddy,” the blonde said, then laughed like he’d told a joke. He turned to two of the Marines. “Toss her out, right now.”

The men looked confused. One of them tried to speak, “But sir, she’s…”

The blonde stepped up to the man, getting close to him and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. “I said, toss her out. If you won’t follow my orders, I’ll tell my father.”

“Y-yes, sir,” the man stuttered and they both came toward me.

I backed away from them, putting a hand out, protesting. One of them grabbed my outstretched hand, pulling me forward.

“Sorry about this,” he whispered. “Try to protect your head.”

I looked at him, wondering if he were insane. It seemed like this whole world was inhabited by madmen. Or maybe I just had the bad luck to keep running into them.

One man took hold of my arms, the other my legs, and together they swung me up. I knew I didn’t weigh much, and surely they worked out consistently being in the Marines, but I was still surprised when they actually managed to send me over the wall.

I screamed, trying to curl up. I closed my eyes, putting my hands around my head. However, I felt hands around me and heard Luffy cry, “I got you!”

He wrapped himself around me and we landed on the ground in a tangled heap, his hat drifting lazily to land on the ground next to us. Coby had dropped from the wall and ran over to us. I sat up, slightly dazed, trying to see if I’d hurt anything. Luffy had already gotten up and dusted himself off, hat once again on his head.

“Are you okay?” Coby asked, putting a hand on my back.

I nodded, surprised that it was the truth. Luffy and his rubber body had managed to prevent any serious injuries.

“What a horrible man,” Coby said. His voice was angry and I smiled at him. It was the first time I’d seen him anything other than nervous or scared.

Luffy had already gone back up the wall and despite what had just happened, I once again joined him, Coby trailing us.

The blonde was laughing, strolling in front of Zoro with his nose in the air. “You’re just dead set on staying alive aren’t you?”

“That’s right,” Zoro said. “And I’m going to make it through the month without any problem.”

I started. A whole month? That wasn’t possible. A person would starve long before that and be nothing but skin and bones, which Zoro obviously wasn’t. But there was no reason for him to lie about it. I couldn’t figure it out.

“Right.” The blonde laughed. “Good luck with that.” He walked away, the Marines following him like some sort of posse.

“Only ten days left!” Zoro called after him.

I nearly lost my grip on the wall. He’d been tied up there for twenty days. It was a miracle that he was still alive.

Without looking back, the blonde said, “You still assume you’ll make it to the end of those ten days.”

I clenched my hands into fists, fighting the urge to punch the blonde square in the jaw. He deserved it, but I didn’t want to start any unnecessary fights. The sound of his laughter rang in my ears even after he was gone and I knew it would haunt me in my sleep.

I looked over to talk to Luffy, but he was no longer there. I swung my head around wildly only to see him standing where I’d been not ten minutes ago, in front of Zoro.

“So I hear you’re a bad guy,” Luffy said.

“You guys are still here?” Zoro asked, annoyed.

“You’re out here for all the world to see and nothing.” Luffy’s voice was even and I wasn’t sure if he was just speaking or if he was trying to get a reaction. “Are you really all that strong?”

“Mind your own business!” Zoro snapped.

Luffy walked toward Zoro and I wondered what he was about to do or if he had some kind of plan.

“If I were you I’d probably starve in three days,” Luffy admitted.

“I’ve got more spirit than you’ll ever have,” Zoro declared. “Which is how I’m going to survive this ordeal. This I swear.”

He had a cocky smile and he seemed so confident. I found myself wondering if he could really go ten more days. He was so close to a month that I found myself wanting him to do it.

Luffy chuckled. “What a weirdo,” he said, turning to go and raising a hand in farewell.

“Wait, hold on!” Zoro called out. When Luffy stopped, the swordsman looked down at the ground where my cake lay, smashed into the dirt. “Could you pick that up for me?”

Luffy looked at the cake in disgust, but bent down and collected it anyway, holding the remains in his hand.

“You’re gonna eat this?” Luffy asked in disbelief. “It’s mostly just mud.”

“Shut up and give it to me!” Zoro shouted, opening his mouth wide.

Luffy threw the mud cake in Zoro’s mouth and he proceeded to chew and swallow. He coughed.

“You should’ve listened to me,” Luffy said in a sing-song voice.

Zoro, his head down, said “It was good.” He looked up at me then, meeting my eyes. “Thanks.”

My cheeks burned and my heart sped up a bit as he stared at me. I hid my face as well as I could hanging from a wall and gave him a thumbs up.

I wasn’t sure why I reacted the way I did. It was a simple thank you and I acted like it was a declaration of love, a bashful schoolgirl and not a woman of twenty-one. I hopped down from the wall, walking quickly back to the town and trying to avoid thinking about what had just happened.


	6. Part 2-Romance Dawn Chapter 3

“What do you think, Beckett? Beckett?”

The words abruptly pulled me out of my thoughts. I had to shake my head, clearing it, before I returned to the conversation. The three of us were by a set of steps leading up to a bar. Coby sat a step higher than me and was staring at me, concerned. Luffy, sitting on a wooden barrel was watching me as I scrambled to catch up with what was going on around me.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “What did you say?”

“I was just wondering if Zoro’s really as evil as everyone thinks that he is,” Coby repeated. He had his hands bunched in his lamp, looking pensive.

“He’s not!” a high-pitched voice cried out.

All three of us turned to look at the doorway to the bar. A little girl was glaring down at us. She had short dark hair pulled into two low ponytails and wore a cute turquoise and purple dress. She seemed ready to hit Coby, her small hands curled tightly into fists. 

“He’s good,” the girl said. “He got himself in trouble for us.”

“You’re not making any sense,” Luffy pointed out, leaning forward and I nodded in agreement. 

“Sorry.” She looked down, the fight in her dwindling. “It’s all that dumb Helmeppo, the son of Captain Morgan.”

She then filled us in on how the blonde, Helmeppo, had been terrorizing the town with his vicious wolf-dog and the girl had tried to stop it herself. When she was about to be eaten, Zoro had stepped in to save her, drawing Helmeppo’s wrath. Zoro had made a deal with the blond, saying that he would be tied up for a month and the girl and her family wouldn’t be punished. 

I stared at the ground in shock. I hadn’t really thought Zoro was a criminal, but to know that he had actually saved an innocent little girl and then gotten treated this way made my blood boil. I wanted to find that Helmeppo and wring his scrawny neck. The bastard didn’t look like he’d be able to fight back anyway, instead hiding behind his father’s name and power.

“It’s been three weeks,” the girl, whose name was Rika, said. “Helmeppo keeps hitting and kicking him while he’s tied up.” She’d come down the stairs and now turned to Luffy. “He’s being unfair! I don’t know how to help him.” 

She put her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. I raised a hand, putting it on her shoulder. I wasn’t sure how to comfort the girl. She obviously felt terrible for the swordsman and even a bit guilty for his situation, though it was Helmeppo’s fault, not hers.

“I understand why you’re upset,” Coby said, his face downcast.

Suddenly, there was a crash inside the bar, the sound of glass breaking. I jumped up from my seat on the stair. Luffy lead the way through the door, with me and Coby following behind. I made sure to stay in front of Rika, unsure what we would find. Knowing Luffy, I didn’t want the small child getting hurt if a fight broke out.

Inside, Helmeppo, his bright yellow hair a neon sign, was lounging in a chair, his feet propped up on the table in front of him. The breaking glass had been a bowl he’d knocked carelessly to the ground when he’d sat down. Broken shards of pottery and fruits lay scattered around him. A young woman was pouring wine into a glass he was holding. The scum looked more than pleased with himself. Behind him stood a number of Marine lackeys.

“I’m trying to think of something interesting to do, seeing as how I’m bored out of my skull,” he said, more to hear himself talk than anything. “I suppose I could execute Zoro.” He started laughing at the thought.

His words rang in my ears. It was like I couldn’t breathe. The only thought in my mind was to silence Helmeppo’s laughter. Before I could move, though, Luffy was running forward, toward the man’s table. The sharp noise of flesh on flesh rang out as Luffy punched Helmeppo, sending him flying and snapping his head to the side. Helmeppo hit the wall behind him, hard.

“You hit me!” Helmeppo cried, equally shocked and hurt. He clutched his face and tears were already filling his eyes. 

“Luffy, no!” Coby sprinted to Luffy’s side, grabbing his arm to stop him from striking out again. “You can’t hit him!”

I blinked trying to focus. It took me a moment to hurry to Luffy’s other side, helping Coby keep my captain back.

“This guy’s scum,” Luffy growled, as if that explained everything.

I couldn’t disagree. The fact that he’d not only lie about his bargain, but would be willing to kill a defenseless man was despicable. If I wasn’t concerned with keeping Luffy from destroying the bar, I probably would’ve hit the blonde myself.

Helmeppo was busy babbling about being hit and whose son he was. He threatened to execute us, but I wasn’t listening. Luffy was stronger than he looked and it took all of mine and Coby’s combined strength to keep him in place.

“I’ve made up my mind,” Luffy said, suddenly growing calm. I instantly became ten times more nervous. “Today, Zoro joins my crew.”

I looked at the messy black hair in front of me. Luffy’s eyes were serious and there was a determined look on his face. I bit my lip, wondering how this decision would play out. 

Helmeppo was finally scrambling to his feet, calling out insults and threats as he zipped through the door, his men following close behind.


	7. Part 2-Romance Dawn Chapter 4

We were back at the courtyard where Zoro was being held. Coby and I held back while Luffy went to talk to the swordsman.

Zoro appeared to be sleeping. When Luffy stepped up to him, his head jerked up and he stared at the man before him. He looked annoyed. 

“You again?” Zoro asked gruffly. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“I’ll untie you,” Luffy began, “but only if you agree to join my crew.”

“Your what?”

I chuckled softly to myself. Luffy had a way of getting straight to the point. I put my chin on my hand, watching the scene play out. Coby was next to me, nervously looking for Marines.

“I run a pirate crew,” Luffy continued. “I’m looking for people to join up.”

“No way!” Zoro cried, angry. “I’d never stoop to joining up with a criminal. Screw that.” Zoro looked away.

“And what’s wrong with being a pirate?”

“They’re despicable.” Zoro glared at Luffy. “Like I’d ever want to join up with one.”

I scowled, though I knew neither of them were looking our way. I didn’t take kindly to Zoro’s description of pirates, though I knew he was right. Luffy wasn’t exactly a typical pirate.

“Come on, give me a break.” Luffy chuckled. “Everyone already knows you as some vicious bounty hunter.”

“People can say whatever they want about me,” Zoro said. “But I’ve never done a single thing in my life that I regret.” He smiled. “I will make it through this challenge. After that, I’ll accomplish what I want.”

“Yeah, that’s great.” Luffy turned, crossing his arms and smiling. “But I’ve already decided you’re going to be a part of my crew.” 

“You can’t do that!” Zoro shouted.

“I hear you’re one of the best swordsmen around,” Luffy said, looking at the swordsman in question.

“Well I am,” Zoro admitted. “But that idiot captain’s son took my swords away.”

“Guess I’ll have to get it back for you.” Luffy didn’t seem to realize or care what he was proposing to do. “So if you want it back, you’ll just have to join my crew.”

Coby drew in a shocked breath. I had to chuckle at Luffy’s underhanded way of dealing with Zoro.

“Now you’re really pissing me off!” Zoro yelled.

Luffy didn’t seem to notice, instead running off.

Zoro looked shocked for a moment before speaking. “Hey, genius, the base is in the other direction.”

Luffy paused. Rather than just turning around, he stretched out his arms, grabbing the fence and shooting himself over. I slapped my forehead in exasperation. 

Zoro’s eyes widened and he looked after Luffy in amazement. I slapped Coby’s chest lightly, motioning toward Zoro. He nodded, letting me know he understood and we ran over to the cross where the swordsman was tied up. When we reached him, Cody started trying to undo the knots tying Zoro’s left arm while I attacked those on his right.

He looked over at me. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Geez,” I said. “Don’t sound so happy to see me.”

“You have to get out of here,” Coby said. 

Zoro looked at the boy. “That maniac’s going to kill you for what you’re doing,” he warned us.

“I can’t stand to watch the Marines behave like this,” Coby whispered sadly. “A true Marine should be honorable.”

“Look you two, I can’t leave,” Zoro cried. “I’ve only got another ten days left.”

I snorted, shaking my head and drawing Zoro’s attention. 

“No you don’t,” I said bluntly. “That freak with the stupid haircut is planning on executing you tomorrow.”

Zoro’s eyes widened and he stared at me in a mixture of shock and horror. “What?”

“Helmeppo was never going to honor his promise.” I looked back at Zoro, staring him directly in the eye. “He lied to you. He was going to kill you from the very beginning.”

“Which made Luffy really angry,” Coby chimed in. “So he went and knocked him out.”

Realization sunk in. Zoro faced forward, his expression serious. “He did?”

“Now the Marines are mad. They’re dead set on catching Luffy,” Coby said. “I’m not asking you to be a pirate, but I hope you’ll help him. You have a lot of strength you can lend. Luffy’s the only person who can save you from execution. And of course, you’re the only one here who can save him from a similar fate.”

I paused in my attack on the rope to look at Coby. He had a way with words that surprised me. If he couldn’t make it as a Marine, he might have a career as a politician.

“End of the line!” a gravelly voice rang out. 

I looked to the side to see a mass of Marines, all with guns pointed at us. They blocked the exit of the courtyard, trapping me and Coby in with Zoro. A tall, muscular man with close-cropped blond hair and a giant ax where his right hand should have been walked forward. Other than the ax, his most distinctive feature was an iron lower jaw. 

“For the crime of treason against me,” the man said, “I sentence all three of you to die where you stand!”

Coby looked terrified, tears filling his eyes. Zoro stared at the Marines, trying to appear calm and failing miserably. I stood, whole body shaking. I wanted to run, leave this whole mess behind. All the guns were pointed in our direction and I realized I was likely looking my death in the face.

“Coby.” I said, surprising myself by how calm I sounded. “Get behind me.”

He glanced at me, confused. “But why?”

I looked back at him. My voice was sharp. “Just do what I say.” 

Without another word, the boy crept closer to me, hiding behind my back. I knew I wasn’t tall or broad enough to really be an effective shield, but I had to do what little I could.   
I moved slightly, enough that I was blocking Zoro as well. 

When Coby realized what I was doing he gasped. “You can’t be serious!” he shouted. “You’ll be killed!”

“Ready!” the ax-handed man called out.

I turned to look at Coby over my shoulder and smiled. “What kind of pirate would I be if I didn’t try to protect my friends?”

“Aim!”

I quickly faced the guns again, refusing to let Coby or Zoro see how scared I really was. There was no second-guessing myself now. Even if I wanted to run, I had no time left.  
I silently apologized to my father, giving up my dream of going home, before closing my eyes and waiting to be filled with bullets.

“Fire!”

The sound of dozens of guns going off at once was deafening. I squeezed my eyes tight, bracing myself for pain. I waited several seconds, but still felt nothing.   
Confused, I opened my eyes and saw Luffy bent over at the waist in front of me. Three swords were strapped to his back.

The bullets had hit him, pulling his rubber body out behind him. There was a rubber-encased bullet inches from my face. I sucked in air, realizing how close I’d actually been to dying and thanking whatever god might’ve been looking down on me for the captain’s timing. 

When the bullets had stopped moving, Luffy straightened up, sending them rocketing back at the Marines. 

“See ya!” he laughed, arms up in a victory pose. “That won’t work on me! Told you I was strong.”

My legs had turned to jelly and gave out under me. I landed in a graceless heap, staring up at the Straw Hat. 

“What the hell are you?” Zoro demanded, amazed.

Luffy turned around, smiling. “My name’s Monkey D. Luffy and I’m gonna be King of the Pirates.”

He gave Zoro a thumbs up and I shook my head. Luffy was definitely something else entirely. He looked down at me.

“You okay, Beckett?” he asked, extending a hand. 

“You sure do like to make an entrance,” I replied, taking his hand. “Cutting it a little close though, aren’t you?”

My legs were still unsteady, but I managed to keep them from collapsing again. Coby ran to me, letting me lean on him and helping me stay upright.

“That was amazing, Beckett,” Coby said. “So brave.”

I smiled and ruffled his hair playfully. “I didn’t really help at all, but thanks.”

“You’re going to be King of the Pirates?” Zoro scoffed, pulling my attention back to him. “You must be out of your rubbery mind.”

The swordsman glanced at me and for a second I thought I saw respect before he turned back to the captain.

“Do you have any idea what that means?” Zoro continued.

“King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates.” Luffy stared at Zoro. “Duh. How could it mean anything other than that?”

“When he first told me, I was shocked,” Coby said, looking excited. “But he’s completely serious. He seems to have every intention of becoming King of the Pirates and obtaining the world’s ultimate treasure, the One Piece.”

“Yeah,” I said, making my way over to Zoro. “That was one of the first things he said to me and he’s been going on about it ever since. Can’t get him to shut up about it.”

It seemed surprising now that I’d first met Luffy only a week ago. It seemed more like years. 

Luffy smiled at our descriptions of him and his goal while Zoro just looked stunned. Finally, Luffy pulled out the swords from behind his back, handing them to Zoro. 

“Here you go,” he said. “I wasn’t sure which one was yours though.”

“They’re all mine,” Zoro said. “I practice Santoryu, the three sword style.”

I sighed. Was this world ever going to make sense to me? Who could possibly use three swords? Where would the third sword go, his mouth?

Luffy pushed the swords at Zoro. 

“Take them already,” he insisted. “Just know that if you fight with me now, you’ll be a government defying villain. So it’s either that, or you’re left out here and killed by the Marines, execution style.”

“What are you?” Zoro asked, smirking at the ultimatum. “The son of the devil? It doesn’t matter, because if I don’t choose your side, I’ll be dead anyway. So let’s do it.”

I shook my head. Luffy had managed to blackmail Zoro, a supposed demon, into joining his crew and I wasn’t sure if I should be upset or impressed. 

Luffy let out a childish, triumphant laugh, throwing his arms in the air. “You’re finally going to join my crew! This is the best thing ever!” He pumped the swords up and down in excitement. 

“Can you quit celebrating and get these ropes off me?” Zoro cried.

Together, Luffy and I turned our attention back to Zoro’s bindings. No matter how much I pulled on them, trying to find a loose spot, they stayed tight. Luffy wasn’t having any better luck on his side. He paused, scratching his head in frustration. 

Captain Morgan’s grating voice let out a shout and the Marines ran forward, their swords out in front of them. Coby let out a squeal of terror beside me. 

“Huh,” Luffy said, ignoring the oncoming horde. “The knots just got tighter instead of looser.”

“Just hurry up and give me one of my swords, now!” Zoro yelled to the straw hat.

I wasn’t sure how Zoro having a sword would help, considering he was still tied tight, but I yanked one of the swords out of its sheath. I quickly shoved it in Zoro’s open hand. My eyes were glued to the Marines as they drew ever closer to us.

“Luffy, look!” Coby cried out, finally drawing Luffy’s attention to the situation.

The sound of metal on metal rang through the air. I had barely enough time to move away from the Marine’s swords, tripping over my own feet slightly, but managing to stay upright. 

When I looked at the Marine’s again, Zoro was there, crouched down with a sword in each hand and one in his mouth. Somehow, he was able to use all three swords and block all of the Marine’s. I hadn’t even felt him free himself from the ropes, much less dart past me.

All three of us stood there, watching the swordsman in amazement. Coby’s mouth hung open and Luffy held pieces of the ropes that Zoro had sliced through. 

I never would’ve imagined someone would be able to react that quickly or be able to hold off so many men at once. And he hadn’t eaten for days. What would he be like at full power? It boggled the mind and I pushed the thought away.

“Make one move, and you die,” Zoro warned the Marines. They trembled at his words. “Today, I officially become a criminal,” he said to Luffy. “I’ll become a pirate. But I want you to know one thing. The only thing I dedicate myself to is my ambitions. I have my own dream to fulfill.”

“Which is?” Luffy asked.

“To become the greatest swordsman in the world.” He stared intently at the captain. “If somewhere down the line I have to give that up, I want you to accept responsibility.”

“Sounds good to me.” Luffy crossed his arms. “The King of the Pirates wouldn’t have anything less than the best on his crew.”

Captain Morgan yelled to his men, telling them to kill all of us, causing them to whimper even more, torn between obeying the psycho’s orders and trying to attack a master swordsman. I wondered if they even had more than a basic knowledge of swordplay.

“Might want to duck,” Luffy warned in a singsong voice, drawing back his leg.

I grabbed Coby, pulling him back, just as Zoro realized what was happening and ducked down. 

“Gum-gum,” Luffy yelled, “whip!” 

His leg stretched out, colliding into the Marines and tossing them all aside. Morgan’s face twisted in shock, then anger, watching all of his men taken out at once.

“Yes!” Coby’s face lit up in happiness. “You knocked them all down.”

“You mind telling me what you are?” Zoro asked, standing back up.

“I’m just a guy who ate the gum-gum fruit.” Luffy’s leg had reverted back to its normal size and he swung it back and forth.

Zoro and the Marines mumbled in disbelief about Luffy’s strange ability. Captain Morgan mentioned the devil fruit and their powers, but I wasn’t paying attention to him. 

Zoro and Luffy turned to face the Marines, looking incredibly intimidating. I found myself thankful I was on their side and not against them. Zoro raised his swords, ready for a fight, but before he could move, Luffy had sprinted forward, passing the Marines in the pursuit of reaching Morgan. 

“Bring those Marines to their knees!” Coby hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth. I found myself cheering as well. 

When Luffy punched at the captain, Morgan blocked the strike with his giant ax-hand. 

“You have no right to defy me,” Morgan growled, ripping off his coat. “I am Captain Ax-Hand Morgan!”

“And I’m Luffy,” the straw hat replied, unfazed. “Nice to meet you.”

The two fought, Luffy avoiding Morgan’s blow and Morgan accidentally slamming his ax into the ground, spitting the earth in two. The strength needed to cause a crack that big would’ve been enormous. Even though he looked like a bodybuilder, I hadn’t expected that kind of power.

Luffy slammed his feet into Morgan’s face, knocking him to the ground, but he twisted and landed in a crouch. Luffy launched himself at Morgan again, who brought his ax down with all his might. Luffy spun away, laughing which only angered Morgan more. 

Coby stood to the side, watching the fight breathlessly. My hands were in fists, nails biting into my palms. It wasn’t until I tasted blood that I realized I was biting my lip, tense with concern for the boy who’d taken me in as part of his crew.

Luffy managed to kick Morgan again, launching the bigger man to the side. Luffy grabbed Morgan’s shirt, punching him in the face. His hat shaded his face so I couldn’t see his expression. 

“Straw hat!” came a cry. “Stop right there. Look at what I’ve got!”

I looked over and saw Helmeppo pointing a gun at Coby’s head. I had been so focused on the fight that I hadn’t even noticed the brat moving. I cursed under by breath for not being observant enough, finding myself actually worried about Coby. 

Luffy kept punching Morgan, not realizing or not caring about the situation Coby was in.

“Are you stupid?” Helmeppo demanded. He was shaking as he stood and I almost expected him to fall in a heap at Coby’s feet. “I said stop. I have a hostage you might want to look at.”

It wasn’t until Zoro spoke up that Luffy turned away from a now unconscious Morgan to Coby.

“If you value your friend’s life, you won’t move,” Helmeppo screamed.

Coby looked terrified, biting his lip and staring at Luffy. My feet were begging to go to him, but if I did, Helmeppo would shoot him anyway. I looked from Luffy to Zoro, hoping one of them had a plan.

“I’ll shoot him, I swear,” Helmeppo said, trying to sound tough.

After a moment, Luffy smiled at Coby. 

“Luffy, listen,” the boy exclaimed, serious. “Don’t let whatever happens to me stop you. Even if I die!”

“Of course,” Luffy replied. “You got it.”

I gawked at Coby. Where was the timid kid I’d met before, the one who seemed scared of his own shadow? In just a few days with Luffy that kid was gone and a strong young man seemed to have replaced him. I smiled slightly at Coby’s change, proud of him.

“Hear that?” Luffy asked Helmeppo. “Coby’s willing to die by your hand.” He moved closer to Helmeppo causing the blond to start yelling.

Behind him, Morgan quietly got up, raising his ax overhead. Coby yelled a warning, but Luffy pulled back his arm, focusing his attention on Helmeppo. I knew I wasn’t any sort of match for Morgan, but I started forward.

Before I could do anything, Zoro had sped forward, attacking Morgan while Luffy let loose a gum-gum pistol and knocked Helmeppo away. Morgan crashed to the ground and Luffy’s arm snapped back into place.

“Thanks,” Luffy smiled.

“Just doing my job, captain,” Zoro responded.

I ran my fingers through my hair, completely drained of energy without even throwing a punch. These two were going to be a handful, I could already tell. 

Luffy smiled at Zoro’s words. I stepped up to them, looking at the fallen men and the chaos around us. The Marines would have a decent mess to clean up, not to mention finding a new captain. Coby was on the ground next to Helmeppo, eyes wide in shock. 

Zoro slid his swords into their sheaths. The Marines looked at their former boss, unconscious on the ground and Luffy and Zoro, mumbling to themselves about what had just happened.

“If there’s anyone else who wants to fight us, you better do it now,” Zoro warned them. 

They all backed away slightly. Then each and every one of them threw their hats, guns, and swords in the air cheering. 

“That’s weird,” Luffy commented. “Looks like they’re all happy their captain was beaten.”

“They must have been afraid of him for a long time,” Coby guessed. He was excited again, the shock and fear of just minutes ago forgotten.

Zoro groaned, his body hunching up and he fell to the ground, eyes closed.

“Zoro!” I yelled, running over and crouching next to him.

I looked over his body, but couldn’t see anywhere he’d been injured. There was no blood and I hadn’t seen him get cut during the fighting.

“Are you okay?” Coby asked behind me. “What’s wrong?”

Zoro’s eyes opened slightly before he mumbled, “I’m just hungry.”

I shook my head. Of course he was. He’d just done all that fighting on an empty stomach. 

“Coby, come here,” I commanded. “Help me get Zoro up.”

There was no way I could carry Zoro alone. Coby grabbed one of Zoro’s arms and I grabbed the other. With Luffy leading the way, we walked out of the Marine base and toward town.


	8. Part 2-Romance Dawn Chapter 5

“Man, I’m full,” Zoro finally said, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his stomach. “I was so hungry I was ready to chew through my own boot straps.”

Having finally been able to eat, he looked much better than before. He was smiling and he’d taken the bandana off, revealing short green hair. He’d even managed to wash off some of the dirt and grime that had covered his body.

Next to me, Coby and Rika laughed at Zoro’s words. Ririka, Rika’s mother and the bartender, had offered all of us food in thanks for stopping Captain Morgan, though I doubted she’d expected Zoro and Luffy’s appetites. 

“Huh,” Luffy said, looking at Zoro out of the corner of his eye. “You’re already finished? Guess you weren’t that hungry after all.” He continued shoving food in his mouth as fast as possible.

“How the hell can you have a bigger appetite than a guy who hasn’t eaten in weeks?” Zoro asked, pointing at all the plates stacked in front of the captain. 

“It’s just really good,” Luffy said through the food in his mouth. 

“You’ll be surprised how much that monster can eat,” I informed Zoro, laughing. I turned around to face the bar counter. “Thanks again,” I said to Ririka. “I really appreciate your letting us eat here. Are you sure you won’t take any money?”

“It’s my pleasure,” Ririka said, smiling. “You guys did save the town after all.”

Rika had sidled up to Luffy and was looking up at him. “You’re amazing!” she cried happily. 

“Yeah, I know,” Luffy replied. “I’ll be even more amazing when I’m King of the Pirates.”

“Careful, Luffy,” I warned. I’d placed my elbow on the counter and was resting my chin in my palm, watching my captain with amusement. “You let your head get too much bigger and your hat won’t be able to fit anymore.”

He quickly put a hand on his head, making sure the hat in question was still there, an alarmed expression on his face. Everyone laughed at his reaction and I stuck my tongue out at him. 

“So how many others have you gathered for the crew besides me?” Zoro asked. At Luffy’s blank look, he continued. “You said you were in the middle of gathering a crew, right.”

“Oh, yeah.” Luffy’s face lit up. “One.”

It was Zoro’s turn to look blankly at the captain. “Excuse me?”

Luffy nodded.   
“I’m the only other member so far,” I admitted.

“What?” Zoro jumped up. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope,” Luffy laughed. “Beckett’s the first official crewmember.”

“Don’t you dare say ‘right-hand man’,” I warned. Luffy looked at me sheepishly. 

“Okay.” Zoro looked thoughtful. “Do we at least have a ship?”

I shook my head. 

“But we’ll have one soon,” Luffy said optimistically. “A great, big one with a black pirate flag.” 

“Luffy doesn’t quite know how to plan things,” I admitted. “He just sort of goes with the flow.”

“Just great,” Zoro mumbled, pinching his forehead in frustration. “How did I manage to get suckered into having him as my captain?”

I thought about replying, but before I did the door swung open, revealing a group of Marines. Everyone in the small bar turned to look at the Marines as they walked in. The group all looked rather uncomfortable except for the man in front, the leader.

He stepped forward until he was standing in front of Coby.

“We heard you fellas are actually pirates,” the Marine stated briskly. The brim of his hat kept most of his face in shadow. “Is this rumor true?”

“Right,” Luffy said almost immediately. “And I just added the second member to my crew.”

People from the town had pressed against the glass of a nearby window, trying to see what was happening inside. 

“We appreciate you saving our town from that horrible tyrant who terrorized us for so long,” the Marine said. “However, now that we know that you’re pirates, as Marines we cannot sit idly by and watch you go about your business. Therefore, you and your crew will need to leave this town immediately. But out of respect for what you’ve done we will not report you to headquarters.”

Behind the Marines, the townspeople protested loudly, standing in the doorway and pushing their way in. 

“Where do you get the nerve to talk like that?” one man demanded.

“Without these pirates, we’d still be under Morgan’s reign,” a woman pointed out. 

The people talked over one another, shouting to get their voices heard. I worried they’d stampede into the bar if something wasn’t done. 

Luffy smiled. “I guess it’s time to go,” he said, standing and turning to Ririka. “Thanks for all the food, lady.”

As Luffy walked toward the door, a sack of food slung over his back, Zoro and I stood to follow him. Without looking at him, the three of us passed Coby. I knew that if we acknowledged him in any way, he’d be labeled a pirate and not be able to join the Marines, but I still wanted to say goodbye. The kid had wormed his way into my heart and I found I was sad to be leaving him behind.

“Aren’t you part of the crew as well?” the lead Marine demanded once we’d passed him.

I turned to see the Marine addressing Coby who stood in the middle of the room, shaking slightly, his round eyes wide. The boy stuttered, trying to come up with an answer on the spot. I stared at him, trying to will him to think of something plausible. 

As Luffy moved to continue leaving the bar, the Marine turned to him.

“Hold it,” he commanded. “Is he with you or what?”

Luffy paused before turning around with a grin. “What I can tell you is what he’s been busy doing up to this point.” He laughed. “Yeah, there was this fantastically fat pirate lady. I think her name was Alvida.”

Coby had turned even paler and was staring at Luffy in horror as the captain kept talking.

“She carried around this huge iron club,” Luffy said as he strode up to Coby. “Boy, she was the nastiest looking woman I’ve ever met.”

I stood next to Zoro, watching everything unfold. I knew what Luffy was doing, trying to make Coby angry, but it was still painful to witness. 

“For two years this goofy kid,” Luffy started poking Coby’s head, “was her own private cabin boy.”

Without warning, Coby swung around and punched Luffy, sending the captain flying back. Everyone gasped in shock and not a little horror at the sight unfolding before them. Even I was impressed that Coby had managed to land a blow on Luffy. Zoro’s smirk was the only sign that he cared. 

Luffy chuckled, his head turned to the side. “Now that was a dumb move,” he stated. He punched Coby and the two started fighting, though it was mostly Luffy hitting Coby.

“That’s enough,” the Marine shouted. “Get out of here, now! We can’t have you pirates disturbing this town any more than you already have, you hear me.”

Zoro stepped away from my side, grabbing the back of Luffy’s collar and pulling him away.

“Enough,” Zoro’s deep voice rang out. “You made your point. Now let him fall to the ground.”

Once Luffy was no longer hitting him, Coby lost his balance and collapsed, breathing heavily. His face was covered in bruises and I worried Luffy had gone too hard on the kid.

“It’s obvious you’re not crewmates,” the Marine said, pointing to Luffy. “Stop badgering the poor kid and take your leave of our town this instant.”

Once again, the three of us made our way to the door and out onto the street, leaving Coby behind. The townspeople were silent as we walked, stunned by the scene Luffy had caused. I kept my head up as I went, not willing to be seen as cowardly or submissive.

We quickly made our way back to our boat where we’d left it on the dock.

“That was a thin act back there,” Zoro said to Luffy. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they see right through it.”

Luffy chuckled. “Coby should be able to handle the rest of it on his own. I have faith in him.”

“It is a fitting way to leave this place,” I mused. “Unable to turn back ‘cuz everyone here hates us now.” I sighed and shrugged my shoulder. “Guess the only place to go now is forward.”

Luffy laughed as he removed the rope holding the tiny boat in place.

“Luffy!” came a shout from behind us.

We turned to find Coby standing several yards behind us with Rika and Ririka. Coby saluted us solemnly.

“I can never thank you enough,” he cried out in his high-pitched voice. “You’ve done more for me than anyone ever has.”

“I’ve never heard of a Marine thanking a pirate before,” Zoro joked. “That’s one for the history books.”

Luffy smiled at Coby’s proclamation. The three of us got into the boat and let the sail down so that we could leave the town. Luffy stood even though I told him he’d turn the boat over and waved.

“We’ll meet again, Coby!” he called. “Someday!”

Rika waved goodbye, a smile on her little face. Behind the trio, the Marines arrived and saluted us as well. I grinned at the unexpected surprise and the expression on Coby’s face when he realized the Marines were behind him was priceless. I held in a laugh as I waved even more until the people were a speck on the horizon.

As the tiny boat floated on its path forward, I leaned back, letting the sun hit my face and sighed. It wasn’t perfect and I wasn’t any closer than I had been to going home, but I felt a strange peace. I had two people to help me in my journey now and I felt confident I’d have answers soon.


	9. Part 3-Cherry Town Chapter 1

I lay in the boat with Luffy and Zoro. The sun beat down on us and it was too hot to move. My head was leaning on the wooden side, eyes closed. I knew Luffy and Zoro were in similar positions. 

We’d been floating around aimlessly for days after finding Zoro. Every now and then I found myself glancing over at him. He was usually asleep, unaware of my gaze. I liked it better that way. 

The more I looked at him, the faster my heart seemed to beat. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t force myself to stop. A small breeze ruffled his short green hair and I had to push away a ridiculous urge to run my fingers through it. I glanced away quickly.

We had come across a tall jagged rock that jutted out from the water. It was enormous and we couldn’t see past the structure. It would be awhile before we would be able to get past it.

Standing carefully, I reached down and tugged my blue shirt off, revealing a bikini top. While I struggled to get the button of my jean shorts undone, Zoro’s eyes opened slightly. When he saw what I was doing, his eyes flew open, his mouth dropping slightly. I could feel my cheeks warm and turned away.

“What are you doing?” Zoro asked. Was I imagining that his voice got a bit huskier?

“She’s just going swimming,” Luffy explained. His hat was perched on his head, remaining in place somehow despite the infrequent gusts of wind. “She does that every so often.”

He wasn’t surprised by my random urges to swim anymore. In fact, sometimes he seemed a bit jealous of me. He’d explained that his devil fruit powers had taken away his ability to swim in the ocean. 

I finally managed to slip out of my shorts, letting them fall to the boat and revealing my bikini bottoms. I could still feel Zoro’s eyes on me and I hastily jumped over the side. I squeezed my mouth and eyes shut tight, dropping down into the water.

Abruptly, all sound was muffled, the water slightly warm and inviting. I opened my eyes. Above me was the dark shape of the boat and I could hear that the two guys were talking, though I couldn’t make out words. Behind me, I could see the rock, stretching down to the ocean floor. The world underwater was calming, shimmering and I found myself wishing I could stay down there permanently, forget about trying to go home, forget about Luffy and his outlandish goal. 

I stayed down as long as my lungs would let me, kicking my legs slowly. My short, red hair drifted around my head, just coming into my vision. Finally, my lungs cried out for air, demanding I resurface. I used my arms, propelling me upward, under the boat so I emerged on the other side from where I’d dropped off. 

Shaking my hair out of my face, I smiled. Luffy and Zoro were watching me as I bobbed around.

“We were starting to get worried about you,” Luffy laughed. 

I moved my body, floating on my back. “You know better than that, Luffy,” I admonished. 

I was a terrific swimmer. I could remember my mom teaching me how to swim when I was just a little kid. I was as comfortable in water as I was on land.

The thought of my mother made my chest hurt. She’d helped shape me into who I was, but she was no longer around to provide support or advice. I wondered what she would say if she knew I'd been transported into another world. 

I thought about how my dad was doing. Surely those back home knew by now that I was missing. Had he sent out a search party for me only to find no trace of my whereabouts? I renewed my pledge to figure out how to go back to him. I needed to go back to him. He was the only family I had left.

“You’ve had your swim,” Zoro said. Whatever I’d thought I’d heard in his voice earlier was long gone. Now he just sounded annoyed. “Get back in the boat.”

“No way,” I replied, unable to stop a giggle as I splashed water on him. “I’m just getting warmed up.”

“You little…,” he said, wiping the water from his face. 

I worried I’d overstepped my bounds, but his eyes were laughing. He reached into the water to splash me, shaking the boat, but I’d already ducked underwater. When I resurfaced, Luffy was yelling at him, clutching the sides of the boat, his face comically exaggerated. 

I laughed, splashing around, turning away and swimming off. I’m not sure what made me stop, but I did, looking around. Behind me, Luffy and Zoro had gotten into an argument. 

“Shut up, would you?” I hissed.

Something in my voice told them I was serious and they instantly stopped talking. The world was completely silent now. The water was calm, barely any ripples marring the surface. I was about to give up, admit that my mind was playing tricks on me and laugh everything off, when a large ship emerged from behind the rock.

There wasn’t anything unusual about the ship other than the flag flapping limply in the faint wind. It was black with a gruesome skull in the middle. A many-armed creature that looked like a cross between a squid and a dragon was in the background. Several men had come to the side of the ship and were peering over it at me. 

I sped back to our little boat, grabbing the side while watching the ship closely. In seconds, a tall man had sauntered to the side of the ship. He looked down at me, his blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail. He wore a long black coat and his black eyes took in the smaller boat, my friends and me. 

“What have we here?” he asked no one in particular. His eyes looked at me appreciatively.

Where before I’d felt calm and happy, now I felt exposed, an icy feeling settling into my stomach. Suddenly, I felt large, callused hands under my arms, lifting me up into the boat. Zoro positioned himself in front of me protectively. Luffy handed me my shirt which I pulled on quickly. I whispered a thank you to the straw hat. 

Zoro had a hand resting on one of his swords, glaring at the pirates in front of us. 

The blonde pirate laughed. “You behave as if I was going to yank her from the ocean and make off with her.”

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” Zoro said.

“Trust me, if I wanted her, I wouldn’t have to abduct her,” the pirate replied, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

I humphed, glaring at the man. He was cocky, too cocky for my liking. “As if,” I called out.

His eyes twinkled, like he enjoyed a challenge. 

“We’ll see about that,” he promised. 

I shook my head, putting my hand on Zoro’s tensed shoulder. I could tell he was itching to use his blades and shut the blonde up.

“Let’s just go,” I whispered to him. “It’s not worth fighting over.”

I knew the more attention you showed guys like him, the worse it made things. Ignoring them deflated them, took away their sense of importance. 

Zoro reluctantly agreed and soon he and Luffy were rowing the little boat away. I yanked my shorts back on, ignoring my wet bikini bottoms. The thought of the blonde burned in the back of my mind. I had a really bad feeling about him that I couldn’t shake. I decided to lay back down, closing my eyes for a moment.

It wasn’t long before I heard Luffy give a shout. I jerked awake, having managed to fall asleep. Blinking, I rubbed my eyes and turned my head to see why Luffy was so loud. 

There, in the distance, was a thin strip of land. There were spots of green and even some dark smoke rising into the air. 

“Meat!” Luffy was screaming. He was standing up, making the boat rock.

I reached out, smacking his legs. “Would you sit down, you idiot?”

He giggled, settling down. It didn’t take long for us to get close enough to the island to see there was, in fact, a small town, the smell of cooking food wafting through the air. We hurriedly docked at the small strip of beach, Luffy jumping out and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

I opened the bag of berries, looking inside at our remaining money. 

“We don’t have much left,” I admitted. “We should spend most of it on essentials so we don’t starve at sea.”

I looked up. Luffy’s face had fallen, the thought of no meat crushing. Sighing, I reached out and dropped some coins into his hands.

“Go ahead and get what you want,” I said, already regretting my kindness. “Zoro and I will get the actual supplies.”

Luffy yelped gleefully, jumping up and down. Before I could say another word, he’d darted off in search of food. I shook my head. The captain was way too energetic sometimes. I half wished I could bottle that energy and use it myself. I shrugged, turning to Zoro.

“Guess it’s just you and me, big boy,” I said. Not waiting for his response, I grabbed his hand, dragging him through the streets of the town. Everyone seemed friendly enough, haggling with me on prices in a good-natured way. Zoro didn’t complain when I piled the bags on his arms and pulled him everywhere. I found myself enjoying this time of peace and quiet. 

“Thank you,” I said softly. 

We’d stopped at yet another stall, this one selling fresh vegetables. Zoro had been looking around, but when I spoke, he’d looked down at me. He towered over me, the top of my head barely reaching his chin and I knew he could snap me like a twig if he really wanted to.

“You didn’t have to help me,” I admit. “But you did, so thank you.”

“I wasn’t aware you gave me much of a choice,” Zoro said and I laughed.

“You’re nearly a foot taller than me, weigh at least 50 pounds more than I do, and you’re one of the best fighters I know.” I looked up at him. “You didn’t have to help me.”

He shrugged, looking away. “Not like you could’ve carried all this yourself,” was all he said back.

I nodded, knowing he was right. As I paid the stall-keeper, I found myself annoyed at my lack of strength. Before I could think about it too much, I hurried past Zoro, zipping through the crowd.

“You there, beautiful young lady!” 

A voice called out and I stopped. Zoro bumped into me and we glared at each other for a moment. I looked around for the voice.

“Yes, you, the one with the lovely blue shirt.”

To the side of the street was another stall, this one for beautiful jewelry and trinkets. The seller was an older gentleman, his thin hair graying, though there was still a gleam in his eyes. He held out a hand to me, waving me over and though I knew I wouldn’t want anything he was selling, I found myself moving closer. 

“You look like you enjoy the simple pleasures in life, not the outlandish decadences, am I right?” He smiled at me, as if knowing he was spot on.

I blinked at him. The jewelry around him seemed organized, the more ornate pieces to one side while the plainer pieces, necklaces and rings with only one or two gems to the other side. The stall-keeper picked up a choker with a tiny diamond set in the middle. 

“Something like this, my dear?” he asked. 

I could sense Zoro fidgeting behind me, impatient. 

“No,” I told the man. “Sorry, but that’s not really my style.”

The stall-keeper looked at me intently. “No,” he finally said. “Diamonds don’t suit you, do they? You should keep that in mind, young man, when you’re going to ask for her to marry you.” He said the last bit to Zoro, whose cheeks turned a shade of pink. We both started to sputter denials.

“What are you talking about?” Zoro demanded, finally able to make a complete sentence. “We’re not together like that.”

I agreed hurriedly, but the stall-keeper only chuckled, reaching for another piece. “If you say so.”

He held out a sapphire ring, motioning for me to try it on. I shook my head sadly.

“We should really be going,” I said, turning to leave. 

Before I could move away, something glimmered in the light and caught my eye. There, toward the back of the display, was a simple ruby necklace. The ruby was cut into the shape of a teardrop while the chain was delicate links of gold. I stood there, looking at the piece and trying not to drool over it. 

The stall-keeper laughed at my expression. “I knew there was something here to catch your eye.”

I jerked away from the stall, trying to remind myself that I needed to save my money, not spend it on a pointless accessory. 

“For you,” the stall-keeper continued, “only 25,000 berries.”

I stared at the man. “No way.” I shook my head, only just stopping myself from stomping my foot. 

“Eh,” Zoro said, drawing my attention. “You have the money.”

“Yeah, for food,” I pointed out.

“But if you like it, just get it.” 

Zoro frowned when I shook my head. I turned away and walked off. He apologized to the stall-keeper before he hurried to catch up with me. When he had reached my side, I grabbed a few of the bags from his hand, wanting to help him now that we were done shopping. 

“Sorry for hurrying off like that,” I said, looking down at my feet. 

“It’s not that big a deal,” Zoro replied. “You just seemed to really like that necklace. Seems a shame to walk away from it.”

I had really liked it, but I just shook my head. “It’s not worth it.” I smiled at the taller man. The stall-keeper’s words about Zoro proposing to me popped up in my mind and I quickly glanced away.

What was wrong with me? Zoro was just a comrade, someone I had to deal with for the time being. As soon as I found a way home, I would be gone and this whole ordeal would be a memory. I couldn’t afford to get distracted by a stupid little crush. Besides, when had love ever done me any favors? 

“You okay?” Zoro’s deep voice broke me out of my thoughts. “You seem distracted.”

“Sure,” I lied. “Just wondering about our captain.”

By that point, we’d returned to our little boat, dropping the groceries on the wood planks. 

“I guess we should go looking for Luffy,” Zoro said with a sigh. “There’s no telling what trouble he’s gotten himself into.”

“That’s for sure.” I seriously wondered why we were following the idiot around sometimes. 

As I turned around, I saw Luffy’s bright red shirt barreling toward us. He was waving at us, a huge grin on his face. He stretched out his arms, grabbing Zoro’s shoulders.

“Crap,” both the swordsman and I said at the same time. 

Zoro reached out, pushing me out of the way, as Luffy shot straight at us. The two of them tumbled into the boat, a tangle of stretched arms and legs, Zoro’s swords twisted around his haramaki. If I didn’t know the two men better, I might’ve been worried they were seriously injured. Instead, Zoro kicked Luffy sending him sprawling on the sand next to my feet. 

“What the hell was that about, you moron?” Zoro shouted, glaring at the captain.

“Hey, Beckett,” Luffy said, ignoring Zoro and sitting up. He was holding his straw hat, making sure it stayed on his head. “What are you doing here?”

I knelt down in front of Luffy, smiling. Before he could react, I’d smacked him on the back of his head. 

“Are you trying to kill your crewmates before you ever set out on the Grand Line?” I demanded.

“No,” he pouted, holding his head. “I just found something really cool and I wanted to show you guys.”

“Why does that make me so nervous?” Zoro asked. He’d gotten out of the boat, hand on his straightened swords.

“Because anything Luffy finds ‘cool’ is bound to be bad news for us.” I was already rubbing my head, wondering what the idiot had found. 

“It’s not bad,” Luffy declared standing up, eyes wide in excitement. “It’s a fortune teller. She can tell us anything we want!”


End file.
